Hi,Can anyone tell me a bit about flying kelebeks like when do they start to respond to a dropper, etc, etc.I have a couple of young ones flying out with some rollers.Theres not much out there about the training. I'd appreciate any info.Thanks Tom

Hi Tom,Training Kelebeks is rather simple really.There are a few ways of doing it but I'll tell you what I do:If I am starting a new kit, I focus on the first couple of birds to make sure they get the whole routine down so I can use them to train the other young birds to make up my kit.With the first 2-3 birds my main focus is to get them used to reacting to the droppers.From their first time flying I make sure they land with a dropper.Basically throw them in to the air and as soon as they make a turn or two around the coop I release a bird to the ground.If they don't react to it I basically walk towards the dropper to make sure it flies a few feet so the birds in the air see it.To do this I use a bird that is not into flying.So, the dropper idea with Kelebeks is not like the Döneks or Adanas where the dropper is held in the hand and it flaps its wings.Kelebeks react to a bird(s) on the ground much better.If you have the set up, you can open the coops door and let the rest f the birds out (in front of the coop) also.This method seems to be a lot more effective since the young birds can see the commotion on the ground much easier.

Idea is to get the young birds to land as soon as they see the bird(s) released in front of the coop.First few times the young birds will react slowly but after a while their reaction will become very sharp.Now, we are doing this while the birds are let's say 4-5 yards up in the air and are not really flying long time.Once the first few birds get this action under their belt, I will start adding birds in to the kit one at a time.As I see the newest bird following the rest of the birds diving towards the dropper I put one more bir in to the kit (the following day).

Each day, I let the kit go higher and fly longer little by little, but always insuring they are reacting to the dropper.The thing with Kelebeks is they are very reactionary birds.Every thing they do is a reaction to another bird or to get a reaction from another bird.This is the fundamental behind their flight and performance style.So the first bird noticing the dropper reacts to it by diving towards it and the rest of the birds in the kit reacting to the bird that reacted to the dropper starts diving.In a few weeks you will notice when they come down to the dropper they all land with in 8x8 area around the dropper (which might be smaller as time passes).

During these dives do not expect the same thing from each Kelebek.At the beginning their dives might look similar but as they get more and more comfortable in the air you will start seeing very different diving styles from each bird.Some will come strait down, while another making wide spirals, and another tight and short bursts of spins, and every once in a while one diving upside down.Some slow their dives as they get close to the ground and some come full speed and about a yard short of the ground throw their butt around to the opposite side and put some sort of an air brake.All very interesting.

As interesting as the dives are they are not as spectacular as Dönek's perfect spin with the hole in the middle or the extreme speeds the Adana reaches.The main performance takes place while they are flying, which should last about half an hour to couple of hours depending on your training.During the flight you will see many different moves and almost all of them as a reaction to some other bird in the kit.You might see a bird the gain speed and fly towards another bird like it's going to crash into it and see the target bird react to it by displaying avoidance maneuvers.Criss-crossing flight patterns, flying 90 degrees to the ground up or down, upside down flights, spins and spirals of all sorts put together.Reminds me of the fighter plane dog fight secenes in the old WW movies

As far as flying with rollers, it could be useful if you are unable to get the young birds to fly on their own.I have used Takla before for this purpose.However, I would not do this for long.The reason for this is the fact that Kelebeks like to copy anything they see.They will soon start tumbling or rolling (not good but it is definitely a roll of some sort) and this is considered a major fault in the breed by some fanciers.Besides this they tend to be a bit distractive in a roller kit and not allow the birds to kit well later on.

Any way, I hope you get a chance to put together a nice kit and get to enjoy them as much as I do.Take care